Film Studies
P303Whether you’re passionate about zombie movies, Hollywood blockbusters, or art-house French classics, our Film Studies degree provides you with the intellectual rigour to analyse all types of film from a number of different perspectives.
Course overview
Over the course of your three years, you will spend time watching and discussing films from different periods, countries and genres. By engaging critically with film texts, you learn to deepen your understanding of narrative structure, technique and aesthetics, as well as your appreciation of how filmmakers choose to represent class, race and sexuality on screen.
At Winchester we understand that your perception of film becomes deeper when you bring in perspectives from other disciplines, including politics, philosophy, history, gender and race studies. You study the different histories and styles found in American, British, European and broader global industries and there’s an opportunity to undertake practical film work in digital production and screenwriting.
You are taught by a team of film specialists and industry professionals with different backgrounds, whose diverse research expertise is reflected in the breadth and scope of the curriculum.
Year 1 covers core modules, which include the Rise of the New Media and Film Form, Narrative and History as well as opportunities to hone your digital creative skills.
Study during Year 2 is more specialised and focuses on skills and your potential career paths including a work placement module. Optional modules allow you to focus your study on areas that interest you. Year 2 optional modules may include British and European Cinema and Hollywood.
Year 3 modules cover Animation as well as National and Global Cinemas and you will undertake your Extended Independent Study (dissertation). Optional modules cover Gothic and Horror Films and Stardom and Desire.
Our Multimedia Centre, which is open 24 hours a day, offers outstanding industry-standard facilities including two HD TV studios with green screens, a newsroom, a computerised radio studio, and facilities for multi-track audio recording.
You will graduate as a well-informed critical thinker who understands the cross-cultural diversity of the contemporary world. The Winchester course in Film Studies has an excellent employment record and graduates commonly find work in film and television-related industries, creative industries, advertising, media and teaching.
Film Studies is based in the Department of English and Creative Writing.
What you need to know
Course start date
September
Location
On campus
Course length
- 3 years full-time
- 4 years sandwich
- 6 years part-time
Apply
P303
Typical offer
96-112 points
Fees
From £9,250 pa
Course features
- Develop as a critical film scholar and a gain a practical grounding for a career in TV, film or the media
- Enjoy the freedom to study your favourite genres and periods of cinema while discovering new forms, faces and fields within film
- Watch a lot of terrific films – and discuss and debate them at lively, interactive seminars
- Take advantage of outstanding industry-standard facilities to learn practical film techniques and skills in our Multimedia Centre
- Work placement module explores a range of potential industry careers and opportunities in creative practice across film and media
Course details
Work placements
Students have the opportunity to gain work experience through the Professional Journeys module.
Study abroad (optional):
Our BA (Hons) Film Studies course provides an opportunity for you to study abroad in one of our partner universities in the USA or Canada.
For more information see our Study Abroad page.
Learning and teaching
Our aim is to shape 'confident learners' by enabling you to develop the skills needed to excel in your studies here and as well as onto further studies or the employment market.
You are taught primarily through a combination of lectures and seminars, allowing opportunities to discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in lectures in smaller groups.
In addition to the formally scheduled contact time such as lectures and seminars etc.), you are encouraged to access academic support from staff within the course team and the wide range of services available to you within the University.
Independent learning
Over the duration of your course, you will be expected to develop independent and critical learning, progressively building confidence and expertise through independent and collaborative research, problem-solving and analysis with the support of staff. You take responsibility for your own learning and are encouraged to make use of the wide range of available learning resources available.
Overall workload
Your overall workload consists of class contact hours, independent learning and assessment activity.
While your actual contact hours may depend on the optional modules you select, the following information gives an indication of how much time you will need to allocate to different activities at each level of the course.
Year 1 (Level 4): Timetabled teaching and learning activity*
Teaching, learning and assessment: 288 hours
Independent learning: 912 hours
Year 2 (Level 5): Timetabled teaching and learning activity*
Teaching, learning and assessment: 288 hours
Independent learning: 888 hours
Placement: 24 hours
Year 3 (Level 6): Timetabled teaching and learning activity*
Teaching, learning and assessment: 252 hours
Independent learning: 948 hours
*Please note these are indicative hours for the course.
Teaching Hours
All class based teaching takes places between 9am – 6pm, Monday to Friday during term time. Wednesday afternoons are kept free from timetabled teaching for personal study time and for sports clubs and societies to train, meet and play matches. There may be some occasional learning opportunities (for example, an evening guest lecturer or performance) that take places outside of these hours for which you will be given forewarning.
Assessment
Our validated courses may adopt a range of means of assessing your learning. An indicative, and not necessarily comprehensive, list of assessment types you might encounter includes essays, portfolios, supervised independent work, presentations, written exams, or practical performances.
We ensure all students have an equal opportunity to achieve module learning outcomes. As such, where appropriate and necessary, students with recognised disabilities may have alternative assignments set that continue to test how successfully they have met the module's learning outcomes. Further details on assessment types used on the course you are interested in can be found on the course page, by attending an Open Day or Open Evening, or contacting our teaching staff.
Percentage of the course assessed by coursework
The assessment balance between examination and coursework depends to some extent on the optional modules you choose. The approximate percentage of the course assessed by different assessment modes is as follows:
Year 1 (Level 4)*:
74% coursework
13% written exams
13% practical exams
Year 2 (Level 5)*:
91% coursework
0% written exams
9% practical exams
Year 3 (Level 6)*:
94% coursework
0% written exams
6% practical exams
*Please note these are indicative percentages and modes for the programme.
Modules
Please note the modules listed are correct at the time of publishing. The University cannot guarantee the availability of all modules listed and modules may be subject to change. The University will notify applicants of any changes made to the core modules listed. For further information please refer to winchester.ac.uk/termsandconditions
Modules
This module offers an introduction to the procedures for reading film through the consideration of filmic devices such as mise-en-scène, editing, sound and narrative. The module outlines critical approaches that frame its analysis by examining areas relating to genre, star study, film authorship, semiotics, ideology, spectatorship, and critical and theoretical work that draws upon psychoanalysis and feminism.
This module introduces the main concepts, themes and theories that are deployed in the study of media and communication in contemporary society. The module provides you with opportunities to learn and apply key concepts that are central to the analysis of media, from modes of production and consumption, to the dynamics of power and control, to the construction of genres and meanings. You will use them to explore some of the most pertinent issues in the contemporary digital landscape, including uses and abuses of new media, concerns about politics and citizenship, the importance of representation and identity, as well as security, surveillance and safety.
In this module you will be introduced to the essentials of digital creative skills. You will gain a solid understanding of the basics of using programmes from the Adobe Creative Cloud suite (Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator) and you will develop skills in graphic design and publishing software, as well as knowledge of the industry. The module also introduces and develops various skills required for the production of digital video, such as how to handle a camera, how to assess and capture sound and light, and how to edit footage.
This module provides a historical approach to film by focusing on film form, narrative and contextual concerns by reference to culture and society. The module examines a range of forms and narrative models, such as the classical Hollywood narrative, German Expressionist cinema, Soviet montage cinema, Italian Neo-realism, French New Wave as well as post-classical and postmodernist films in conjunction with the historical study of these styles by reference to economic, social, cultural and political influences.
Modules
The first part of this module develops critical understandings of film and cinema to a more advanced level by exploring different theories that have been important in Film Studies. In the second part, the module centres on the independent research of primary and secondary sources in order to develop methodological approaches to film, enabling you to pursue your own area of study as preparation for the Extended Independent Study (Dissertation).
Our Professional Journeys module outlines and explores a range of potential industry careers and opportunities in creative practice across film and media. The module is designed to support you in undertaking your work placement as a key component of your degree, and provide the chance to critically reflect on your experiences and expectations of employment.
We will consider the workplace cultures of the media and film industries, key concepts of business and professional hierarchies, the role of training versus education, undertaking personal development planning, and how to manage and develop your desired future career. Work placements are managed in accordance with the University’s Approved Procedures for Work-Based Learning and Placements.
Film Genres explores the importance of genre as a way of thinking about film through case studies of specific genres such as Gangster and Crime Film, superhero films, science fiction and fantasy to examine their stylistic, thematic and formal elements by reference to relevant contexts like history, cultural context, transformations, sub-generic forms.
British and European Cinema
Hollywood
Modules
The dissertation is a piece of written work of 8,000-10,000 words which offers you the opportunity to undertake a sustained and detailed investigation of an area of film and to use and further develop a range of research skills and techniques previously introduced and developed in your taught modules.
The module will offer an in-depth study of one or two national cinemas, investigating the history, cultural contexts, ideological meanings, critical constructions, and impact of production and consumption in relation to that cinema. The national cinema to be studied will be taken from a range including African Cinemas, Australian Cinema, French Cinema, German Cinema, Japanese Cinema, Scandinavian Cinemas and Chinese and Hong Kong Cinemas.
The module will consider the history of animation from early cinema through to contemporary computer-animated blockbusters, taking in traditional cel animation in studies of individual studio styles in the ‘Golden Age’ of Hollywood cartoons, avant-garde animation, animation and Art, anime, digital animation and the rise of contemporary studios such as Pixar, Dreamworks, Studio Ghibli and Aardman.
Gothic and Horror Film
Stardom and Desire
Optional
The dissertation is a piece of written work of 8,000-10,000 words which offers you the opportunity to undertake a sustained and detailed investigation of an area of film and to use and further develop a range of research skills and techniques previously introduced and developed in your taught modules.
The module will offer an in-depth study of one or two national cinemas, investigating the history, cultural contexts, ideological meanings, critical constructions, and impact of production and consumption in relation to that cinema. The national cinema to be studied will be taken from a range including African Cinemas, Australian Cinema, French Cinema, German Cinema, Japanese Cinema, Scandinavian Cinemas and Chinese and Hong Kong Cinemas.
The module will consider the history of animation from early cinema through to contemporary computer-animated blockbusters, taking in traditional cel animation in studies of individual studio styles in the ‘Golden Age’ of Hollywood cartoons, avant-garde animation, animation and Art, anime, digital animation and the rise of contemporary studios such as Pixar, Dreamworks, Studio Ghibli and Aardman.
Gothic and Horror Film
Stardom and Desire
Entry requirements
Our offers are typically made using UCAS tariff points to allow you to include a range of level 3 qualifications and as a guide, the requirements for this course are equivalent to:
A-Levels: BBC-BBB from 3 A Levels or equivalent grade combinations (e.g. BBB is comparable to ABC in terms of tariff points)
BTEC/CTEC: DMM from BTEC or Cambridge Technical (CTEC) qualifications International Baccalaureate: To include a minimum of 2 Higher Level certificates at grade H4
T Level: Merit in a T Level
Additionally, we accept tariff points achieved for many other qualifications, such as the Access to Higher Education Diploma, Scottish Highers, UAL Diploma/Extended Diploma and WJEC Applied Certificate/Diploma, to name a few. We also accept tariff points from smaller level 3 qualifications, up to a maximum of 32, from qualifications like the Extended Project (EP/EPQ), music or dance qualifications. To find out more about UCAS tariff points, including what your qualifications are worth, please visit UCAS.
In addition to level 3 study, the following GCSE’s are required:
GCSE English Language at grade 4 or C, or higher. Functional Skills at level 2 is accepted as an alternative, however Key Skills qualifications are not. If you hold another qualification, please get in touch and we will advise further. If English is not your first language, a formal English language test will most likely be required and you will need to achieve the following:
If you will be over the age of 21 years of age at the beginning of your undergraduate study, you will be considered as a mature student. This means our offer may be different and any work or life experiences you have will be considered together with any qualifications you hold. UCAS have further information about studying as a mature student on their website which may be of interest.
If English is not your first language, a formal English language test will most likely be required and you will need to achieve the following:
- IELTS Academic at 5.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in all four components (for year 1 entry)
- We also accept other English language qualifications, such as IELTS Indicator, Pearson PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and TOEFL iBT.
If you are living outside of the UK or Europe, you can find out more about how to join this course by contacting our International Recruitment Team via our International Apply Pages.
2025 Course Tuition Fees
| UK / Channel Islands / Isle of Man / Republic of Ireland |
International |
|
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | £9,250 | £16,700 |
| Year 2 | £9,250 | £16,700 |
| Year 3 | £9,250 | £16,700 |
| Total | £27,750 | £50,100 |
| Optional Sandwich Year* | £1,850 | £3,340 |
| Total with Sandwich Year | £29,600 | £53,440 |
Additional tuition fee information
If you are a UK student starting your degree in September 2025, the first year will cost you £9,250**. Based on this fee level, the indicative fees for a three-year degree would be £27,750 for UK students.
Remember, you don’t have to pay any of this upfront if you are able to get a tuition fee loan from the UK Government to cover the full cost of your fees each year.
UK Part-Time fees are calculated on a pro rata basis of the full-time fee for a 120 credit course. The fee for a single credit is £77.08 and a 15 credit module is £1,156. Part-time students can take up to a maximum 90 credits per year, so the maximum fee in a given year will be the government permitted maximum fee of £6,935.
International part-time fees are calculated on a pro rata basis of the full-time fee for a 120 credit course. The fee for a single credit is £139.14 and a 15 credit module is £2,087.
* Please note that not all courses offer an optional sandwich year.
**The University of Winchester will charge the maximum approved tuition fee per year.
Additional costs
As one of our students all of your teaching and assessments are included in your tuition fees, including, lectures/guest lectures and tutorials, seminars, laboratory sessions and specialist teaching facilities. You will also have access to a wide range of student support and IT services.
There might be additional costs you may encounter whilst studying. The following highlights the optional costs for this course:
Optional
Disclosure and Barring Service
A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance check may be required if you undertake a placement, volunteering, research or other course-related activity where you will have contact with children or vulnerable adults. The requirement for a DBS check will be confirmed by staff as part of the process to approve your placement, research or other activity. The indicative cost is £40.
SCHOLARSHIPS, BURSARIES AND AWARDS
We have a variety of scholarship and bursaries available to support you financially with the cost of your course. To see if you’re eligible, please see our Scholarships and Awards.
CAREER PROSPECTS
Graduates have entered careers in the film and film-related industries. Other students have entered professions in the creative industries including advertising, media and teaching.
The University of Winchester ranks in the top 10 in the UK for graduates in employment or further study according to the Graduate Outcomes Survey 2023, HESA.
Pre-approved for a Masters
If you study a Bachelor Honours degrees with us, you will be pre-approved to start a Masters degree at Winchester. To be eligible, you will need to apply by the end of March in the final year of your degree and meet the entry requirements of your chosen Masters degree.
OUR CAREERS SERVICE
"I want to work in TV and the course has helped me experience what a real job in film production would be like."
